Nearly two-thirds, or 64 per cent, of people globally now use artificial intelligence (AI) at least weekly, with Nigeria emerging as one of the world’s most active AI markets.

The development comes as satisfaction with government digital services has fallen by 13 percentage points over the past decade, creating an opportunity for governments to deploy AI to improve how citizens interact with public services.

These findings are contained in Boston Consulting Group’s (BCG) latest biennial Digital Government Citizen Survey Report, its largest to date, covering 44 countries representing 70 per cent of the world’s population.

In Africa, respondents included citizens from Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa.

The survey showed that the Middle East and Africa remained the regions most comfortable with AI. Although positive sentiment declined from 59 per cent in 2024 to 50 per cent in 2026, it remained well above the global average of 36 per cent.

Citizens increasingly want AI to go beyond providing information, supporting its use in routine tasks, personalising services and improving overall user experiences.

BCG’s Miguel Carrasc said governments had a rare opportunity to reshape how citizens experience public services, noting that people were increasingly open to AI but would judge its success by whether services became simpler, faster and easier to access.

Nigeria stands out as one of the world’s most digitally engaged societies.

While satisfaction with government digital services has softened by five percentage points since 2024, adoption remains strong. Half of Nigerian citizens use digital government services, well above the global average of 38 per cent.

Nigerians also continue to rate government digital services ahead of private-sector offerings, although the gap has narrowed from 22 percentage points in 2024 to seven percentage points.

Only 17 per cent of users reported experiencing no problems during digital interactions, although this represented a five-point improvement from 2024.

AI proficiency is also growing rapidly. About 80 per cent of Nigerians identify themselves as AI-proficient, compared with a global average of 63 per cent, with four in five citizens rating themselves as intermediate or higher users.

Nigeria is also one of the most AI-optimistic markets, with 61 per cent of respondents saying the benefits of AI outweigh its risks.

Most strikingly, 91 per cent of Nigerians use AI weekly, the highest rate among the countries surveyed and far above the global average of 64 per cent.

BCG Lagos Managing Director, Olayinka Majekodunmi, said Nigerians were among the most active AI users globally.

She said the level of engagement highlighted both Nigerians’ openness to emerging technologies and the significant opportunity for public institutions to harness AI to improve services, productivity and citizen outcomes.